Fireproof safe.



. G. U. CARPENTER.

FIREPROOF SAFE. APPLICATION FILED NOV.16, 1911.

1,1 16,382. Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

c. U. CARPENTER.

PIREPROOF SAFE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.16,1911.

Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

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C. U. CARPENTER.

FIREPROOF SAFE. APPLICATION FILED NOVJG, 1911.

Patented NOV. 10, 1914.

UNTED STATESPATENT OFCE.,

CHARLES U. CARPENTER, 0F MIAIVIISBURG, OHIO, ASSIG-NOR TO FIRE-PROOF FURNI- TUB/E AND CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FIREPROOE SAFE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1o, 1914.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHAlrLns U. CARrnN- Tian, a citizen of the United States, residlng at Miamisburg, in the county ot' M0ntgornery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Fireproot Safes, of which the following 1s a specification.

Fireproof safes have heretofore usually been made with a stepped cast-iron framing for forming the door-jamb, the door being made with a coacting stepped cast-iron framing received within the stepped castiron training ot' the door-jalnb when thc door is closed, flat plates being riveted to the outer faces oli' these Jtrainings lor forming filling cavities respectively in the body and the door, these cavities being usually filled with a hydraulic cement compound as a fire-proofing filling. ln practice these stepped castiron trainings when being cast, warp out otl their true shapes in the act of cooling, owin'g to molecular strains. ln order to use these castings, it has been found necessary in practice to reshape them into their true shapes, and this is done by pecning or hammering 0r stretching the metal where the fast framing is out of shape. It has been further found in practice that if a safe, the trainings ot which have been so stretched, is subjected to fire, the heat will fause the molecules o'f the castine's to reassume their original relations and will rewarp the trainings to practically the shapes they had when they were originally cooled after their casting, thereby 'forming cracks or opex'iings in the joint between the door and jalnb, especially at the corners oilf the door. admitting the heat ol the fire into the interior ot' the sa'le and ol'tcn destroying its contents. lt has been lurther found in practice that the heat ol the .lire will attack the rivets. which secure the outer plates to the outer lacesol the `trainings at the jl`ront thereol, loosening the saine and the plates, the plates 'ai-ping and curlingaway Vfrom the trainings at the edges ol the plates. thereby pro\iding openinge-; for the admission ot' heat into the interior ol the safe, and also permitting the sa'lr-lilling to rapidly deteriorate when subjected to water with the heat, the filling crumbling and leaking between the crevices formed between the edges ot' the franiings and the plates, by the curl? ing of the edges duc to heat and the alternate heating and cooling when subjected to tire and water. It has been further found 1 11 practice that the stepped cast-iron framlngs are very liable to break, and do break, especially in the case ot the falling of the safe for instance, in the collapse ot' the Hoor upon which the safe is located, 0r .in the falling ot' a heavy body upon the safe. It has been further found in practice that when the usual hydraulic cement compound has been employed as a lire-proofing material, steam is generated when the salie is subjected to lire, owing to the fact that the cement contains a large percentage of water, the steam aiding in displacement of the plates` secured to the framings and also filling the interior of the safe and damaging its contents.

It is the object ol the present invention to provide a reprool sale in which these objections are avoided, and the invention consists in providing a front structure which has rearwardly bent integral edges at the joint between the 'door and sate body; further in lnfoviding securing means between said rearwardly bent edges and a stepped training which are located in the transverse plane ol' said joint lor removing said securing means from contact with lire about the saile; further in providing a lront wall for a sa'lfedoor having integral langes located between the body oiE the door and thc doorjamb when the door is closed; 'further in providing a stepped door-jamb and front lor the body ol the sa'l'e which are integral with each other; and further in providing an integral sheet metal stepped training for a sale structure employed in forming the joint between the door and jamb: and the invention will be further readily understood Vl'rom the following description and claims, and from the drawings, in which latter:

Figure l is a vertical cross-section of my improved device taken on a` line corresponding to the liuc 1 1 ot Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the same Vtaken on a line corresponding to the line 2-2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross section of in improved device, taken on the Tgrosssection of my improved device partly brolgen away, taken on a line corresponding tathe line 4:-4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a secvtional detail on a line similar to the line 3 of Fig. 2, vshowing the front door member" Yriveted to the stepped framing of the door.

. 7-7 of F ig. 8, showing a preferred form of cellular heat-insulating body. Fig. 8 is a "longitudinal section taken on a line correspending to the line 8*8 of Fig.`7, showing a'section of said cellular heat-insulating body and means for closing the air-cham' bers therein. Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail vshowing one side of the safe, partly broken l 'the door thereof.

a series of steps 14.

away, and shown in section on a line corre sponding to the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. lO is a front elevation of the jamb-framing, partly broken away, showing the integral corner construction. Fig. 11 -is a rear elevation of the door framing, partly broken away, showing the integral corner construction. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of one of the integral front corners of the body of the safe, with the insulation removed; and, Fig. 13 is a perspective view .of one of the integral corners of the door of the safe, with the insulation removed.

11 represents the body of the safe and 12 stepped joint-framing 13 shown as having The stepped jointframing, in the preferred embodiment of the invention is formed up out of sheet metal, preferably high tensile steel, being preferably an integral fra-ming suitably formed to shape, although in practice the sides, top and bottom of the framing are preferably bent into stepped form crosssectionally, as shown by the steps 14, the

corners 15 thereof mitered and solidly integrally welded as by electricity, or the Oxy-acetylene flame, as indicated at 24, (see Fig. 13)` lfor forming a. one-piece framing.

rthe frame although light in weight, is by its form and the fact that it is made of sheet metal,`preferably high tensile steel, and integral, of great strength, the steps 14 thereof formed froml sheet metal giving great rigidity to the framing in all directions, preventing warping thereofl if subjected to heat, and providing great strength for maintaining the forni of the framing ander the various conditions of use or accident in case ef fire.

15 is a front wall of the door. lt is pro vvided with integral rearwardly turned The door comprises a.

flanges 17 at the edges thereof, as at the sides, top and bottom thereof, the corners 18 of the flanges 17 preferably being formed integral or integrally connected as by solid Y welding. This front wall is formed of sheet metal, preferably high tensile steel,-

and the stepped framing 13 and flanges 17 are arranged to be secured together in suitable manner, the framing being shown received within the space formed by the flanges.4

In Fig. 5, the framing and flange are shown secured together by rivets 19, or the same may be connected together by means of solid welding for forming the flange integral with the framing as shown at 20 in Figs. 3, 9 and 13.

The front wall is reinforced by the rear- I wall in place even if they should becomeA 'loosened in the course of a fire. The construction prevents warping of the parts.

rlhe inner wall of the door may be formed by a plate 21 suitably secured to the lateral inner flange 22 of the door framing, as by being riveted thereto by rivets 23, or if desired by spot welding.

31 is a j amb framingformed up of .sheet metal, preferably high tensile steel, and in the preferred embodiment ofthe invention is an integral sheet metal framing comprising corners 32. It preferably comprises the front wall 33 and the stepped j amb 34: and may also include an outer rearwardly projecting flange 35, these parts being preferably formed up integral with each other. The sides, top and bottom of the framing may be made integral with each other, or the corners thereof mitered and integrally formed by solid welding, as by electricity or the Oxy-acetylene flame, as shown at 26, (see Fig. 12), and form an integral channeled frame-part having an opening 36 of polygonal or other form to correspond to the form of the door, and a channel 37.v The stepped jamb comprises the steps 38, a series of tl, ese steps being shown which coact with the series of steps 141 of the door at the joint between the door and door-jamb, for forming a close joint between the same, whenV the door is closed, which is ofiset at a plurality of points between the outside and the inside of the safe, these oH-sets acting as lateral wall 43 of the outer casing, which preferably includes the sides, top and bottoni, is formed with an inwardly extending flange 44 at its front and an inwardly extending fiange 45 at its rear, these flanges serving to strengthen the lateral wall of which they form a part, this lateral wall being of sheet metal, preferably of high tensile steel, with the inwardly extending flanges bent integrally therefrom, and having its corners solid welded, as shown at 27. The front portion of the lateral wall is received in the channel 37 of the channeled frame-part and suitably secured to the rearwardly projecting iange 35 as by solid welding shown at 4 The rear of the outer casing of the safe is preferably formed by a rear wall 51 of sheet metal, preferably high tensile steel, having an inward reinforcing bulge 50. Its edges are bent forwardly in the form of in tegral forwardly extending flanges 52 which are also integral at the corners thereof, and preferably form a lid-like container in which the rear end of the lateral wall is received, the same being secured to said lateral wall, as by means of solid Welding 53. Angle-strips 54 are preferably secured to the lateral wall at the corners thereof, by solid welding, shown at 55.

58 is an inner lateral wall for the inner casing and is formed up outfof sheet metal, preferably high tensile steel, with integral laterally extending flanges 59 received against the inner flange 60 of the jamb framing, to which they are secured for instance by rivets 61. is a rear wall for the inner casing also formed up out of sheet metal, preferably high tensile steel, and has integral rearwardly extending flanges (S6 formed up therefrom, these flanges being scoured to the lateral inner wall as by rivets (37.

71 is a cavity in the door, and 72 is a cavity in the body. The cavity in the body preferably surrounds the inner casing.

"Fireprooling means for the door may be rovided, if desired, and comprise a body 3 of insulating material. This body of insulating material spaced from the front wall of the door by a space 78 and is preferably spaced from the rear wall of the door by a space 79. Each of these spaces is preferably a dead air chamber. 'lhe body of fireproofing material preferably extends into that transverse projection of the steps of the d0or-framing which extends at right angles to the face 0f the door, and preierably separates the dead air chambers 7 8, 7 9.

The body of the safe may be provided, if desired, with preferably similar lireprooiing arrangement. Thus 8l, 8l, are bodies of fireprooling material between the sides of the inner and outer casings of the body, and S2, S25, are `bodies of fireprooling material respectively between the tops and between the bottoms of the inner and outer metal cas-ings. 84 is a body of tircprooling mate rial between the rear walls of the inner and outer metal casings. These bodies, 81, Si), 83 and 84, of fireprooiing material are preferably connected together at their adjacent edges in suitable mai ner, as by connections 85, for forming a heat-insulating easing be tween the outer and inner metal casings of the safebody, which may be held in place, for instance, by suitable props S6, S7. The front edges of thc bodies of ircprooling inaterial received about the lateral wall of the inner metal casing, preferably extend into the channel of the front framing of the body.

An outer air chamber 89 is formed between the outer metal casing of the safebody and the bodies of fireproofing material therein, this air chamber being preferably a dead air chamber, by bein closed at its edges, and an inner air chainier 90 is preferably formed between the fireproofing material in the body and the inner metal casinl): This air chamber is also preferably a closed or dead air chamber. The air chambers are preferably separated from each other for preventing circulation of air from one to the other, the bodies of heat-insulating material prcfrably forming these separating mediums.

When the door is closed, the, body of fireproofing material in the door is preferably received between the forward ends of the bodies of iireproofng material between the inner and outer metal casing of the safebody.

'lhe dead air chambers form hcatinsulat ing mediui'ns which retard the transmission of heat, for instance from the outer metal wall a: to the hcatinsulating n'iatcrial, the function of which is to avoid concentration of intenschcat at particular points of the insulating body, thereby preventingits beingI puncturcd or disintegrated, and a similar hcat'rclarding elt'oct is produced between the insulating body and the inner easingl or wall of the safe structure.

',lhc bodies of lircproofingr nialerial preferably coniprisc a cellular structure, ronsist ing preferably of corrugated sheets 91, for instance, of asbestos, receiveifl between and secured by connections` SS to flat .sheets 99. of asbestos, for forming air cells U55 which are closed at their ends, as shown by the closures 94, suitably secured thereto, for pre venting circulation of air through said cells, forming dead air cells. The sheets 91 and vso 4and protected by the Wall of said door-open- 92 are preferably securedV together at their meetin points.

A suitable locking mechanism may be employed for locking the door in place, but this is not more particularly shown, as any Well known lockingmechanism may be employed for the purpose.

In Fig. 3 a construction is shownl in which a single door is employed to close the door opening. If it is desired to employ a double door for the purpose, the door joint between the doors may be in stepped form, as shown in Fig. 6, by the mating portions 95, 96, respectively provided with a series of steps 97, 98, the other element-s of the doors corresponding to l similar elements thereof, shown in other ligures, being indicated by similar but primed reference numerals.

These mating portions are formed up out of.

sheet metal, preferably high tensile steel, and may be integral with the tops and bottoms of the door trainings by being formed in one piece therewith or being welded thereto. i

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a lire-proof safe, the combination of a safe body having a door-opening, and a safe door arranged to be received in said opening, said safe door colnprising a stepped joint-framing and a front wall having its edges bent rearwardly and formed` as an integral flange which is integral with said front wall, the wall of the outer step of said stepped joint-framing and 4said flange sloping parallel. to each other rearwardly toward the center of the door, said flange and said wall of said outer step of said stepped joint-framing welded together as an inte-v gral structure and located between the walls of said door-opening when said door is closed, substantially` as described.

2. In a fire-proof safe, the combination of a bodyv having a door-opening, and a firefproof door comprising a sheet-metal jointframing and a sheet-metal front wall provided with a rearwardly extending flange integral therewith, the said lange and jointframing lapping each other and secured together for' forming a rearwardly extending lapped joint located in said door-opening ing when said door is closed.

3. In a fire-proof safe', the combination of 'a safe body having. a door-opening formed by a ste ped wall, and a safe door comprising a s eet-metal stepped jointframing, the sides, top and bottom whereof sov respectively have joint-steps bent integrally therein, the said sides, top and bottom being`heat-welded together at their adjacent ends for forming said inte ral sheet-metal stepped joint-framing, an a sheet-metal front wall provided with an inwardly eX-' ing a rearwar =vided withl al rearwardl :bent with an angle-bend vfrom and within which flange the outer end of said stepped joint-framing of said door is received and secured, the said llaiige received within said frame-part, and the :angle-bend between said integral front wall 1 and flange of said door being injuxtaposif .tion to 'said angle-bend between vsaid integral front wall and stepped joint-framing Eof said body when said door is'received in jsaid door-opening.

:iniaaaa tending Bange integral therewith and `lapping the outer end of said paint-framing, the said flange and outer end of said jointframing bein secured together and forinly extending lapped joint lo cated in said door-opening and protected by the wall of said door-opening when said door is closed. n

.4. In a lire-proof safe, the combination ofa safe body comprising an integral highytensile sheet-steel frame-part surrounding 4the. door-opening and -comprising a front 4wall and astepped joint-framing integral '.with each other and having an angle-bend ltherebetween, and a safe door comprising a stepped joint-framing, and a iront wall proextending flange integrally there- 5. In a fire-proof safe, the combination of ja stepped joint-framing forming a door- 4opening and having an inner laterally inwardly extending ange .around the wall of said door-opening for forming a casing-receiving opening, an inner casing comprising a wall-framing telescoping through said last-named opening from the front and refceived in said last-named opening and hava front laterally outwardly extending ilange which laps over -said laterally inwardly eX- tending' flange forbeing secured thereto, and a rear wall having an edge flange in line with and received telescopingly within said wall-framing.

6. In combination, in a lire-proof safe body, a sheet metal front frame-part formed :up with afront wall, a stepped joint-framing at the inner edge of said front wall and` Ia rearwardly extending flange at the outer edge of said front wall, said flange extending around said frame-part as an outer containing wall, a wall-framing the front and rear ends of which are formed with inl wardly extending flanges, the front flanged end ol:' said wall-framing received in said containing wall, and an outer rear wall having a surrounding flange integral therewith received about the rear flanged end of said wall-framing.

7. In combination, in a lire-proof 'safe body, a sheet metal front frame-part formed up with a front wall, a stepped joint fram? ing at the inner edgeof said'front Wall and a rearwardly extending Harige at the outer edge of said front wall, said auge extending around said traine-part `as Aan outer containing wall, :md a wall framing having; an integral inwardly extending [hinge :it its front 0nd, said front end :md sind intrgrul inwardly extfmding flung@ 1'cceived in said outer containing wall and SL cured rigidly thereto for rein'orcing the swim.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my nume hereto in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES U. CARPENTER.

'itliesscs OSCAR A. W'ILKERSON, YV. A. REI'LER. 

